The present invention relates in general to an article for use in combination with a pair of foot coverings and, more particularly, to such an article commonly referred to as a boot stuffer or boot tree for maintaining a pair of boots, shoes or the like in adjacent storage relationship while being constructed to be self-standing when not in use.
Boots and shoes are generally kept in one's bedroom or closet. As one usually possesses a number of pairs of such boots and shoes, they often become randomly intermixed in nonmatching pairs, as well as being scattered about the bedroom or closet floor. A need has been recognized for providing a way of maintaining these boots and shoes in pairs in an organized and orderly fashion so as to prevent their loss or accidental exchange.
In accordance with the prior art, a number of devices for maintaining boots and shoes together are known. For example, in each of U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,889,399 and 1,300,998 there is disclosed a device for strapping boots and shoes together to be hung over a hook mounted on a wall. However, these devices require that a member be specially attached to a portion of the boot or shoe. It can be readily appreciated that the need to permanently and specially modify a boot or shoe to provide for the device is a great disadvantage. Likewise, the device of U.S. Pat. No. 3,041,743 requires that a hole be provided in the upper portion of a boot to specially attach the device thereto. The destruction of the boot by providing a hole therein is undesirable as being unsightly due to the visual presence of the device and due to the permanent nature of the hole should the device be removed. Further, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,965,237, there is disclosed a device which utilizes a spring biased arm having a pair of rodlike extensions at one end for pressing a pair of shoes downward against an underlying support plate. This device, in addition to being expensive to manufacture as a result of its complicated assembly, is unsightly when in ones bedroom or closet and requires a great deal of space for mounting and use.
Accordingly, it can be appreciated that there is an unsolved need for an article for use in combination with a pair of boots, shoes and the like for maintaining same in pairs while being stored without the necessity of attaching special devices to such boots or shoes and which is appealing to look at while occupying a minimum of space when not in use.